Analysis of the Legacy of Alexander the Great S Empire

Alexander the Great

Born in July 356 B.C. Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon to King Philip II and Epirote princess Olympias, Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon and the greatest military commander who ever lived in the ancient world. In the relatively short period of time he was at the helm of the kingdom of Macedon, he managed to conquer almost the entire civilized world before his untimely death (Alexander the Great, 2015).

When Alexander was very young, he proved himself to be capable of undertaking dangerous military conquests (Gascoigne, n.d.). For instance, when the boy was just sixteen, his father left him in charge of the kingdom when he went east on an expedition against the Byzantium Kingdom (Gascoigne, n.d.). During the time his father was away, Alexander managed to crush Thracians who were posing problems to the throne. As a reward, his father later allowed him to build a new town in the territory occupied by Thracians. The town is named Alexandropolis, the first of many more to be named after him (Gascoigne, n.d.). In his early years, Alexander had many teachers. There was Leonidas of Epirote, his mother's relative, who taught him how to ride horses and how to fight. There was also Lysimachus of Acarnania who taught him how to read and write and play musical instruments. Among the tutors hired to teach Alexander different subjects was Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, who later became one of his close friends (Mark, 2013). The lessons from different tutors enabled him to develop lifelong love for music and literature (Mark, 2013).

Aristotle's influence was great on young Alexander, in that when he managed to conquer territories for Macedon, he never forced the Greek culture on the conquered people. Instead, he just introduced the Greek culture as an alternative culture in the same way Aristotle taught him and his other students (Mark, 2013). Leonidas' work on the young prince was also seen in Alexander's lifelong stamina and physical resilience.

Military Campaigns

Alexander's skills and leadership was first seen in the Battle of Charonea (338 B.C.). In that battle, the young Alexander managed to deliver a decisive victory for the Macedonian army against allied Greek city states. When his father was killed two years later, the young prince assumed the throne and embarked on the conquest of the great Persian Empire (Mark, 2013). With a mighty army, Alexander crossed into Asia Minor, sacking several cities and liberating others from Persian rule. A year after crossing into Asia Minor, he was met by the force of King Darius, the Third at the Battle of Issos. Alexander defeated the mighty Persian army and went on to claim several Persian territories. He then went south, conquering Aleppo, Syria, and the Egyptian empire in 331 B.C. where he founded another city. The city was called Alexandria and is the largest surviving city named after the Macedonian king. After Egypt, he launched attacks and successfully defeated Phoenicia and the island state of Tyre. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great, once again, faced King Darius of Persia, whom he was able to defeat. After defeating Darius who fled the battlefield, Alexander named himself the King of Asia and launched another march towards the city of Susa. The city surrendered unconditionally (Mark, 2013).

The Impact of Alexander's Conquests

Alexander's conquests in the 3rd century BC had a huge effect on both Western and Eastern culture (Clark, 2012). As Alexander managed to conquer more territories, he was able to spread Hellenism throughout the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea and across many territories in Asia. The marches of his troops across the Asia Minor and territories in India, Afghanistan, and modern day China enabled the establishment of trade links between Asia and Europe (Clark, 2012). More and more people across the conquered territories started speaking a common language, leading to the widespread adoption of Hellenic philosophy, writings, arts, drama and culture. New philosophical schools of thought, such as Epicureanism and Stoicism emerged (Clark, 2012).

Besides the spread of Hellenic arts and culture, the expanded Macedonian Kingdom created a politically stable business environment, enabling cities to trade with each other (Clark, 2012). The city of Alexandria in Egypt, for example, became a great center of trade and culture. Egyptian and Hellenic religion fused, leading to the creation on an anthropomorphic god named Serapis (Clark, 2012). The fusion of Hellenic gods or religions with local religions became a trend throughout conquered territories (Clark, 2012).